Summertime Alphabet Challenge
by Texas Longhorn
Summary: Summer is a great season for both friendly bonding and romantic interludes, and I'll be exploiting both dimensions in this AAML alphabet challenge!
1. Ants

Hey Everyone! It's me, your illustrious and sometimes delusional favorite author of all time…ever. As my fans know, I'm currently working on a large AAML story entitled "A New Journey" which is now into its forty-seventh chapter and about 1300 reviews deep; however, most of my fans also know that I sometimes like to take a break from the oft-serious tone of ANJ and write something more light-hearted, which brings us to here. I've decided to take up the alphabet challenge for AAML stories that was issued three years ago and that I'm obviously a little late for. I have decided to write all 26 chapters (all separate, small one-shots) in the setting of summertime since, as you should know, summer is bearing upon us quickly, and so each chapter's name will coincide with something that we all relate to the hottest (and my personal favorite) time of the year. I'll be updating regularly since the chapters aren't very long, so check often for updates, and if you like the little samples you see here, give my main fic a shot!

All that being said, I'm going to shut up now and let you enjoy the story!

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><p>"I see one!" Ash hurriedly ran over to the small mound of dirt poking up from the earth. He leaned in and inspected the miniature hill before happily looking back and giving Misty and Pikachu a thumbs-up. "Definitely an ant hill!" he declared excitedly.<p>

She rolled her eyes. "Remind me why I'm out here in the blazing sun looking for ants, when air conditioning is ten feet away?" She pointed to the Ketchum residence behind her, and Ash simply rolled his eyes.

"Trust me, Mist. You don't wanna miss this." His girlfriend was stubborn, but he was sure even she'd be able to appreciate the majestic art of ant extermination when she saw him in action.

"Fine. So why don't you get the poison and take 'em out?" The older teen had left the green spray bottle on the porch, opting to stake out the colony without its aid.

He shook his head excitedly. "See? This is the fun part! Me and Pikachu discovered a new way to take care of the ant problem in Ma's yard!" He took a few steps back before looking to his yellow friend. "Show her how we do it!"

Nodding excitedly, Pikachu took a few steps forward before falling onto all fours. Electricity began crackling from his cheeks as he built energy.

"W-what's he doing, Ash?" Misty asked, a little worried as she examined the dry grass and the lack of humidity in the air.

"Thundershock!"

At the word, Pikachu gave a small cry, and a thin burst of lightning sped from his body and made direct contact with the mound, which instantly blackened and then crumbled under the intense pressure.

"Cool, huh?"

"Pika!" the Pokémon agreed, quickly turning around to see the redhead's reaction.

She shook her head in disbelief. "No, Ash. Not cool. Do you realize what woulda happened if one of those sparks had hit the ground?"

He scratched his head. "Um…nothing?"

"Look at how dry the yard is!" She kicked the ground, sending up a plume of dirt. "You could have started a small fire in your own backyard! And look over there!" She pointed to the white picket fence which separated the backyard from the open plains that ultimately led to the Kanto-Johto mountainous border.

"What if you'd hit the fence? What would your mom have thought about that?"

He smiled, a small blush appearing on his cheeks as he realized the risks he'd inadvertently been taking. "I guess now's not a good time to mention we've done this five times already, huh?"

"Look, I know your mom's used to you screwing up-"

"Hey!"

"But now that we're together, you have to be more careful! If you do stupid stuff like this under my watch, then she's gonna think I'm no smarter than you."

Now it was his turn to roll his eyes sarcastically. "If she does think that, at least she knows the truth!"

"What?"


	2. Beer

Hey Everybody! Well here's chapter two of my alphabet challenge. I know it's been a while since I updated, but I should have the next few chapters up in a more timely manner...honest. Anyway, please enjoy!

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><p>"I said it before and I'll say it again...I think you've had enough."<p>

"Don-don't tell me when I've had enough, Ketchum."

"But the cooler's almost empty. I brought, like, three six packs..."

Clumsily, the water trainer shook her head, almost causing her to fall off the log she was using as an improvisational seat. "I'll tell _you_ when I've had enough, okay? Just be-because you're a guy does-doesn't mean you can boss me around."

Ash rolled his eyes. "You know you're gonna be throwing up soon, right? I just want to tell you now."

"I never ever get to drink at the gym," Misty cried, completely dejected in tone and ignoring Ash altogether. She waved the half-empty bottle around in stumbling anger. "It's-it's always, 'Misty do this', or 'Misty do that'. Never any...any time for Misty by Misty."

Ash was about to respond when his girlfriend broke into a fit of giggles.

_That's not something you hear often, _he mentally noted as her laughter rose through the quiet night that surrounded the Vermilion Beach.

"Misty by Misty..." she mumbled between now-fervent stretches of laughter. "...it-it sounds like a-a perfume or something..."

"Um, okay?" Ash answered, walking past the small fire they'd built. He sat down next to her, and grabbed her arm as she almost toppled backward once more. Slowly, her chuckles died down and a serious look donned her features.

"A perfume...yeah, that's what I need to do!" She looked at Ash with wide eyes. "We need to make a perfume! Then I could get rich and leave my sisters with the gym! We could just leave-just, like, leave everything and go sail ar-around the world, you know?" She finished the mini-presentation with a small hiccup.

Ash couldn't help his own laughing fit that rose from within his chest at the sight of his wide-eyed girlfriend and her drunken business sense.

"W-what's so funny, Ketchum?" She took another swig of the alcohol before staring down her still-chuckling boyfriend. "You don't wanna sail around the world with me?"

He laughed even harder at that. Trying to catch his breath, he caught a glimpse of the hurt in Misty's eyes right before she punched him in the arm...hard.

Caught off-guard he hit the sand on his side, still laughing a little, but trying to muffle it.

"I-I'm sorry, Mist," he apologized, getting back on the log and noting that the hurt expression was still prevalent. "I shouldn't have laughed like that. It's just...so weird seeing you act like this."

"Act like what? Fun?"

He shook his head. "You're always fun...I've just never seen you drunk before."

"I'm not drunk," she insisted, still sad, "but I _am_ a l-little happier now. I guess you-you're not used to seeing that, huh?"

"You're always happy, Mist. What're you talkin' about?"

"No I'm not. Mos-most of the time I'm yelling at you, or making fun or something...it's more l-like I'm a pest or something."

"That's just the beer talking...trust me," Ash consoled. "You'll regret saying that in a few hours."

"No I won't," she answered, depressed.

Ash sighed. Slowly, he lifted his left leg over the other side of the log, so that he could easily face his best friend. She looked over at him, perplexed.

"Misty, you'll definitely regret it. Trust me, you're not a pest or anything like that...you're my best friend and my girlfriend."

"Awww, how sweeet," she drawled, forgetting the drink in her hand as she let it fall onto the sandy shore. "You really don't think I'm a pest?"

He smirked. "Most of the time, no."

"Well then, you deserve a big kiss," she replied in as sultry a tone as she could muster while still trying to maintain balance. With a bit of klutzy behavior, she leaned towards her boyfriend and puckered her lips.

Ash shrugged. _Why not?_

Leaning in, he made to give her a quick peck, but was surprised when she grabbed his head and pulled him into one of the most unorthodox and least enticing kisses they'd ever shared. She completely missed his mouth and seemed to be making out with the side of his lips.

_Ew._

Pulling him even closer, she accidentally caused the pair to stumble off the log. Hitting the sand themselves, she held onto his head for a moment longer before finally ending her abrasive show of affection.

Looking into his eyes, she gave him an earnest glance. "Was-was it everything you wanted it to be?"

He wasn't sure what she meant exactly, but decided it was better to simply nod and hope she'd pass out than ask for an elaboration.

Unfortunately for the raven-haired champion, there was no such luck.

"Ash..." she whispered, leaning closer to him again, while sand continued to ingratiate itself into their clothes and hair. "Can I tell you something?"

He suddenly found himself curious. She seemed very serious. "Yeah, what is it?"

She took a moment, taking a deep breath and exhaling the scent of ten bottles. "...I'm gonna puke."

"Ah!" Ash shot up like a bullet, narrowly avoiding what would have been, in his opinion, the worst incident of his young life...including the dozens of times he'd almost died.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The next morning, Misty woke up with a wet washcloth attached to her forehead and the worst ache her brain had ever experienced pulsing through her head.

Moaning, she closed her eyes again, unsure of what had happened last night or even where she was now, but not caring in the least.

Before she passed out once more, she managed one guttural declaration.

"I'm never drinking again."


	3. Childhood

Hey Everybody! Well, there's not much to say here, except this chapter came out pretty quick, and I think the next one will be done even sooner. Just please remember that these stories are completely separate and apart from my main fic "A New Journey" and anything written in here has no bearing on what will or won't happen in that story. I really appreciate the feedback I've gotten for this fic, and I really hope that if you come by this story and enjoy it, you'll take the time to just leave me a quick review. It doesn't have to be anything special, but I always appreciate people taking time out of their busy lives to just give me a little compliment or criticism, so please feel free to do so. Also, this chapter's kind of long (for this fic only), which is good, but I'm going to try to bring down the word count from here on out because I would like to finish this around the time summer ends, which means I can't write so much per installment. Anyway, I've bored you enough, so please go ahead and read!

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><p>A light breeze blew across Misty's face, providing temporary relief from the beating summer sun above. She looked angrily ahead at the young man who'd forced her out onto this seemingly endless trek out of his neighborhood and now past Professor Oak's laboratory.<p>

"Ash, this better be worth the walk," she warned in yet another growl. She hadn't relented in tormenting the teenager since they'd left his shaded porch ten minutes ago with the promise that he was taking her somewhere "cool". "If it's not, I can't be held responsible for what happens to you."

He looked behind and gave her a toothy grin. "Oh, c'mon Mist. You know we didn't have anything else to do today anyway."

"Not dying in a hundred degree weather was actually at the top of my list."

"Well, when we get there, you'll be glad you came." With that, he turned back around and continued to march proudly toward their destination.

Now past the old lab, the brown dirt path led down a small incline. Reaching the bottom of the slope, the raven-haired trainer turned to the right; down yet another dirt path that led into a thicket of trees and shrubbery. Though the path was wide and clear, around them nature creaked in its unique way, reminding those who would trod down the manmade walkway that it held ultimate dominion over all that lay within its boundaries.

"Ash, if you're gonna throw a Caterpie at me or something, I'll kill you."

He shook his head and laughed. "Don't worry, it's nothing like that...today, at least."

She glared hard at the back of his head, but he refused to turn around.

A few more seconds passed when Ash suddenly muttered something about being "almost there" under his breath. Sure enough, after another minute of walking, the clearing seemed to grow even larger, and at its end, Ash stopped to take in the view.

Misty joined him.

"Hm?"

"This is my old school, Misty. The one I went to back before I started my journey."

Before the duo rested a two-story tall, four hundred foot-wide brown-brick building. It was actually quite standard in appearance to all other public schools in Misty's eyes. There were about a dozen windows on both the first and second floors, and the entire front was tied together by two large, red metallic doors with small rectangular windows that opened only during the other three seasons.

"...you took me to your old school?" She wasn't angry just yet. Something about how Ash was gazing at the perfectly average structure made her bite her tongue, but she still didn't understand their purpose for being there.

He turned and nodded, giving another smile. His eyes lit up as he turned back and examined the building. "I just wanted to see it again. For the first couple of years after I left home, I'd come back to Pallet and avoid it...I didn't really care about seeing the place I hated most as a kid. Now that I'm older though...I dunno. It has a lot of memories, I guess."

"Gotcha, Jimmy!"

"No you didn't, idiot!"

More screams and laughter could be heard coming from behind Pallet Elementary, and Ash smiled. The look on his face told Misty he was temporarily out of touch, and she allowed him the moment; unable to help the smile creeping upon her own lips.

"Let's go check out the playground in the back," he suggested after the quiet moment had passed and he'd returned to the present.

"Okay, sounds good," the redhead agreed as they walked out of the cool shade of the tall pine trees and back into the blazing sun. They walked past the school, the ground crunching beneath their feet every few seconds as dirt and rocks found themselves trampled by their steps.

Coming around the corner, Ash was unsurprised to find the old playground exactly as he'd left it.

It wasn't much, honestly. There were monkey bars and a swing set and a basketball court, but that all fell into the background when he saw it; the old tree.

Here he'd spent more time from the ages of five to ten than anywhere else. Here he had his first, unrecognized at the time, crush on a girl he constantly teased - much like a redhead he met not long after. Here was where he and Gary started as friends, and ended as rivals.

It was all here, and as a cool breeze blew across his face, he almost couldn't help but feel a sudden and deep pang of nostalgia bury into his heart.

This morning, as he laid in his old room, fast asleep, he'd been awoken by the chirping of Pidgey and Spearow. The second he opened his eyes, he noted the window pane's rising shadow creep along his walls as the sun began to rise, and as he breathed in the air of his childhood, he decided it was time to come back.

Misty looked at her boyfriend again. "Why's this place so special?" she asked gently, touched to find that her oftentimes Pokémon-obsessed boyfriend was capable of such a tenderhearted moment.

"It-I grew up here, you know?" He turned to face her. "It's kinda like you and the gym...it just means something special. I used to hang out here every day - right there under the big oak tree - and I would play and make friends."

"I get it," she nodded, understanding exactly how he felt after the gym analogy. Though she couldn't ever imagine herself returning there permanently again, every time she went she found herself overcome by memories. "Your childhood is here, right?"

He gave a small smile as he turned back to the tree. Several younger kids were swinging from its lower branches, and about ten others were running around it in a spur of the moment game of tag. "Yeah, my childhood. I mean, I love that I've been able to travel, and make friends, and meet you, of course, but-"

"But it's still sad to think of all that you left behind," she finished, eliciting a nod from her best friend. "I get it."

They were quiet again as the children went on about their business, completely unaware of the two older teens watching from a distance. Unaware, in fact, that one day they too would grow up and come back to this same tree and bemoan the loss of their own childhood.

Summer, Misty realized, has a way of doing that when you're a kid, though. The warm air, the hot dogs, and the sleepovers all come together to create some hybrid of total apathy for the future. As a child, during the summer, school seems infinitely far away, and adulthood even further.

_It makes you sad to think of when you're older...but it makes for the best memories when you're younger, _she realized with a small grin.

"Hey Misty," Ash muttered after another few moments had passed.

"Yeah, Ash?"

"Um, thanks for sharing this with me."

She gave him a wink. "I wouldn't have missed it for the world...besides, it's good to see the school our future children'll be going to."

His eyes almost jumped out of his head at the last statement. "Children?"

She simply laughed and turned around, walking back towards the Ketchum abode where hot dogs awaited them for lunch. Ash panicked from behind the entire trip.


	4. Daylight

You don't know why she's so enchanting...though you're impressed at the fact you used such a word correctly. She'd be impressed too, wouldn't she? After all, she constantly jokes of how "dense" you are.

What does dense even mean in terms of intelligence? She obviously says it as an insult, but isn't density just some scientific term? Nothing to do with how smart or dumb a person is.

Nevertheless, she calls you it on a regular basis, and you let her. Why?

Enchanting...oh yeah, almost forgot about that.

But why is she? Her sisters are pretty hot, but you never seem captivated by them. True, Misty's blossomed into a true beauty over the years...so much so that it stunned you momentarily speechless when she answered the door. But, honestly, her sisters have the ditzy, trampy appeal going for them. What man in his right mind wouldn't prefer that to a smart, quick-witted, easily-angered redhead?

You, apparently.

The picnic is nice. Summer, you note, is a perfect time for picnics.

Unsurprisingly, she shakes her head in disagreement. She says spring is a better time.

You know by the small twinkle in her eye this has nothing to do about whether or not she agrees with what you just said. In fact, you wouldn't be shocked to find out she wasn't even listening when you said it.

No, this has nothing to do with the words, and everything to do with your past. This is how you two have always gotten along. Fighting, bickering, shouting, etc. Over the years it's grown less and less malicious - and in fact is now playful more than anything else - but that doesn't stop you from getting into it with her.

You've been dating a year now. This was supposed to be a romantic getaway for the day. Away from the hustle and bustle of training and working. But of course it's not truly a date with Misty until your life is threatened by a shaking balled fist.

You laugh, and after a moment she breaks down too. Fighting makes you feel...young again. Well, younger, anyway.

Daylight is long during the summer, and you appreciate it. Some of your best memories are from summer, and the longer days give you time to create even more of them.

Memories like today.


	5. Energy

**Hey Everybody!** I'm still working on the upcoming chapters for my main fic, "A New Journey," but as that work remains in progress I've decided to update this alphabet challenge I began a few years ago. Please enjoy the latest installment, and REVIEW PLEASE when finished if you have a moment! More chapters will be added as the week progresses, so keep your eyes peeled!

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><p>Energy. As in, none.<p>

The sweltering heat did all but completely evaporate any hope of getting anything done today.

"I thought you were gonna be out all day getting ready for your big League challenge?"

She walked a few steps past the doorway and stood over her collapsed boyfriend and his Pikachu. The two were laying on the grass, head-to-head. "Is this your idea of training?"

"…"

"Are you listening to me?"

"…"

She leaned in closer, only to find that under the brim of his hat, Ash was fast asleep.

"Oh…you." She wanted to be annoyed, but she couldn't blame him. He worked hard, she knew. He wasn't the irresponsible kid she grew up with anymore. If he wanted to take a day off and nap with his Pokémon, she wouldn't disturb the pair.

_They actually look very sweet._

With a small, knowing smile she walked back to her gym. Just as her foot met the threshold, though, she was surprised to hear a voice pipe up from behind.

"While you're in there, could you get us some lemonade?"

Clenching her fists, she stormed back.

"You were awake?!"

"Yeah." He barely parted his lips and his eyelids remained shut.

"Then why didn't you answer me?"

"It's too hot to fight. I heard if an Ursaring attacks you, you're supposed to play dead, so I thought I'd try it on you."

The lemonade was refreshing, and the kick in the arm didn't even leave a mark.


	6. Friends

**Hey Everybody!** Here's the next installment of my summer alphabet challenge! As you can probably tell, these aren't meant to be long chapters, and in fact I can guarantee that - thanks to work for my new job, and writing for my long-running main fic, "A New Journey" - not one will be over one thousand words.

However, neither length nor depth are the point of this fic, anyway. Instead, my goal is simply to provide snapshots of happiness in a summertime setting (my personal favorite season), and hopefully make your day at least slightly brighter; whether you're reading it before you go to work, or as you drift off to sleep. I hope I've done so for everyone thus far, and this story continues to flash a little sunshine into your day. If it has, REVIEW PLEASE and let me know! Nothing makes me happier than making others happy (which is really making me happy...so, kinda selfish, but whatever). Anyway, enjoy!

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><p>It was hot today, but the Cerulean Gym's outdoor pool felt like Heaven.<p>

Brock looked up and smiled. "Hey, you two! These burgers are gonna be cold if you don't come out and get 'em now!"

Ash and Pikachu quickly dropped the beach ball they had been bouncing and splashed through the pool to the grill. Misty helped Brock slide the patties onto a plate as he balanced each on the spatula.

"These look great," she admired, mouth watering already. "Why don't you stay with us more often?"

"I would, but seeing you two make googly eyes at each other makes me nauseous."

She gave him a small jab in the rib as Ash grabbed a bun from the patio table and let Misty drop the patty on.

"Do we have mustard?"

"Right here."

"Thanks Brock-o!" He smothered his treat, then stuffed his mouth.

"Ash! Wait on Brock and me to get ours!"

"Oh…sowwy."

Brock and Misty shared a glance before each prepared their own.

"Let's dip our feet in to stay cool while we eat," the redhead suggested as she moved to the pool.

The two boys agreed while Pikachu ran next to her with the ketchup bottle.

For a few precious moments, all was silent save for the quiet sounds of muffled chewing. The sun reflected off the small ripples from the subtle movements of their legs, and birds and Pidgey chirped in the trees above their heads.

Misty closed her eyes and smiled as she felt the sun's gaze penetrate her skin and warm her from the inside, out.

"Don't you wish everyday was like this?"

Ash nodded. "I could get used to living this way."

"Maybe." Brock suddenly laughed. "But then again, maybe it's a good thing it's _not_ always like this."

The couple gave him a curious look.

"Whaddya mean?"

He shrugged and took the last bite of his burger. He laid back and watched as a stray cumulus raced overhead.

"If everyday were like this, we'd never appreciate how special our friendship and time together is. I hate not getting to see you guys more often, but maybe absence really does make the heart grow fonder…"

Misty and Ash smiled and laid back too, as Pikachu jumped on Brock's chest and licked his cheek. They took a moment to digest the pleasant thought.

"Good point," Ash conceded. "…but that doesn't mean I want this to end anytime soon! We have a whole day of fun ahead of us, and if what you say is true, then we can't let a minute go to waste…so who's up for a race?"

In two heartbeats, the friends were rushing down the swimming lanes, laughing and unknowingly making memories that would remain in their hearts far beyond the sun's setting.


	7. Garden

**Hey Everybody!** Here's the next letter to our alphabet challenge! Not much else to say about this installment, but I want to thank all of you who're reviewing! **jg13145**, **EchidnaPower**, **Eeveetrainer**, and **Jemzyboz**; y'all have been a great encouragement since I started back on this story and I hope you continue to enjoy the story and review. And, of course, I'm perfectly willing to expand that list, so if you're reading this story and liking what you see, REVIEW PLEASE!

I actually left out one reviewer, but that was on purpose. **Pokémon-Princess.8**'s birthday was yesterday, so this chapter (like half of all chapters I've written now) is dedicated to her! Besides being one of my most thorough reviewers, she's one of my best friends and I'm so excited for the next year of her life to start because I know it'll be great. She also helpfully pointed out last chapter that Brock and Ash's friendship was pretty similar to our own, and so I want to give a shout-out for inspiring that chapter! Happy (day after) Birthday, PP8!

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><p>Misty's knock on the door was answered with a look of terror.<p>

"You've gotta leave now!"

"What? But I just got here? I thought we were gonna spend the weekend together!"

Ash shook his head. "Change of plans. Trust me, you wanna get out of here."

"This isn't funny." She gripped her hips and gave the raven-haired trainer a dark glare. "If you forgot I was coming over this weekend, you're just gonna have to cancel your plans with whoever else. I didn't drive all the way to Pallet to be turned away at the door!"

"Mist, please – !"

"Oh, is that Misty?" Delia questioned in a singsong voice. She suddenly appeared behind her son, wearing a large sunhat and pink gloves. "I didn't know you were coming, dear! Ash, why didn't you tell me she was coming to help?"

"Help with what?"

Ash smacked his forehead with a notable ire. "It's…gardening day."

"Gardening day?"

"You mean Ash never told you about our little tradition?"

The redhead smirked. "As a matter of fact, no. And I'd _love_ to know more." Seeing the embarrassment on her boyfriend's face insured this would be a good story.

"Oh, rather than tell you about it, why don't I show you?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Two hours later, the water gym leader was on her knees, pulling out weeds, and drenched in sweat from the hot summer sun.

"You've gotta be kidding me," she groaned, looking behind a rose bush to find five more of the hated stray plants. "These things are _everywhere_. I'm gonna kill you, Ketchum."

"Hey, don't blame me!" His hands shot up from the lawnmower defensively. "I tried to get you outta this, remember? You were the one who thought I was playing a trick!"

"But you should've remembered before today about this tradition of yours!"

He rolled his eyes. "Ma calls it tradition, but I haven't had to help her garden in years!"

"How is this even a tradition?"

"I guess just because every season she comes out once to pull out all the weeds and either repots the plants that survived the year in the fall and winter, or in the summer she uproots the ones that didn't make it in the spring and replaces them with new flowers."

"Well I hate this."

"Don't we all," he replied dreamily. "Someday I'm just gonna live in an apartment in a crowded city ten stories above the ground…you won't be able to see grass for miles…wonderful, isn't it?"

She snickered. "It's a beautiful thought."

"Ash, I don't hear the lawnmower running," Delia's firm voice sounded from the other side of the house.

Running to sneak in a peck from his girlfriend, the trainer quickly returned to his post and restarted the engine.

"No rest for the weary, I guess."


	8. Humid

**Hey Everybody!** Here's the next chapter! Again, not much to say about this installment in particular, but I want to give a shout-out to a longtime fan and first time reviewer (for this story), **EternalPKK**! Yay! I'm so glad to have another person's thoughts on this story, and am thankful to see that everyone who reviewed chapter six reviewed seven as well. Y'all are amazingly loyal, and are absolutely the reason I keep working on this story. So go ahead: read, enjoy and REVIEW PLEASE!

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><p>"Ew." It was more observation than reaction. Misty lazily raised her arm. "My fingers are sticking together."<p>

Ash lifted the bill of his hat slightly; just enough to let him gaze at her hand without allowing the sunlight to hit his eyes. "Gross."

"I hate this kinda weather. You should come visit me in Cerulean more often."

"You don't have humidity in Cerulean?"

"Nope. We're not next to the ocean like you guys, so it's much nicer."

He lowered his bill and stretched back in the grass. "Yeah…I remember the summer's being cooler up there when I visited."

"That's another thing. The heat never gets this bad there."

He shrugged. "But, it's in the north."

"So?"

"Southern Kanto's just a better place, generally. If the weather isn't perfect, we make up for it in other ways."

This piqued her interest. "How so?" She was too sweaty to be angry, but a hinted alertness colored her tone.

"I just mean our people are generally nicer down here…and the food's better…and there's less pollution."

She rolled her eyes and turned her head towards him in the grass. "The people are nicer and there's less pollution 'cause there's no cities here. And the food thing? That's just wrong. Besides the bad things cities bring, in the north we have all kinds of restaurants from around the world. Not to mention dozens of museums and big businesses. You'll never find those things down here."

He took a deep breath of the suffocating air.

"It's too gross out here to fight. How about you agree we have better food, and I'll admit you have more stuff to do?"

Compromise was a rare element in their arguments, but today it just made sense as the redhead felt a bead of sweat roll down the side of her forehead.

"Yeah, alright. Wanna hold hands?"

"It's too humid. We'd stick together if we did that."

She suddenly intertwined her fingers with his. "That's fine, I don't have anywhere else to be."


	9. Independence Day

**Hey Everybody!** Obviously it's not Independence Day yet, but I couldn't delay the timing of this chapter. So if it annoys you to read this early I guess you can either wait till the Fourth, or come back and read it again, haha! Seriously, though, I want to say thank you to all my amazing reviewers who continue to provide feedback and inspire this story. Y'all are awesome!

Now go on, read, enjoy, and REVIEW PLEASE!

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><p>"Thanks for letting us use your ranch, Professor!"<p>

"Yeah, this was so nice of you!"

"Oh, it's nothing," the older man waved. "Besides, the Pokémon love having company. You're all doing me a favor by coming - !"

Before he could continue, Muk suddenly jumped him from behind.

"Ah! Muk, get off!" Tracey struggled to push the poison type off his boss as Misty, Ash, Delia, and a slew of Pallet residents chuckled at the Professor's exaggerated cries.

"We're over here," Delia pointed as Muk regained composure and slid off his best friend. "Professor, Tracey, you will be joining us, won't you?"

Oak dusted himself off as he stood. "Well that depends. Did you make your famous apple pie?"

"Of course!" She blushed slightly; barely noticeable under the pale moonlight. "But I wouldn't call it famous…"

"Oh, c'mon Ma, everyone knows it's the best in Pallet Town."

"And better than anything in Cerulean! Trust me."

The blush deepened. "Well, if you're all so hungry for it, come over to the blanket." She motioned for them to follow her to a sprawling oak tree on a nearby hill. "I thought we'd have the best view from here, so I set up the blanket and basket."

As they all took a seat on the wide, blue-and-white checkered sheet, Ash's mom opened the basket and passed around plates and forks.

"Delia, you didn't need to bring real silverware!" Oak cried in a bemused tone.

She gave him a puzzled look. "Why not?"

The Professor rolled his eyes in amazement. "Always the perfect host, aren't you…even to a picnic blanket!"

Everyone laughed as the pie was taken out and cut. It had just been taken from the oven an hour earlier, and the crust was still flaky and smoking with every slice.

"Hot!"

Misty gave her boyfriend an incredulous stare. "You tried to bite into it already? You have to blow first!"

"It just looked so good…" he answered dejectedly.

She laughed despite herself and grabbed his hand. "You're cute when you're hungry."

His eyes widened. "Wow!"

"What?"

"Nothing…I just was expecting a sarcastic remark."

She winked. "You can't predict Misty Waterflower. Besides, now that we're a couple, I don't think I can tease you as much as I used to…after all, what does it say about me if I'm dating a guy I constantly make fun of?"

"So you're not gonna call me 'dense' anymore?"

"Well…not as much."

The two blushed as Tracey took a seat behind them, balancing a plate on his lap. "It was nice of you to let the mayor borrow Pikachu and Torkoal."

"Well, when he said he needed their help lighting the fireworks, I knew they'd have fun too, so it made sense."

The Professor looked at his watch. "Speaking of which, they should be starting any – "

With a bang, the sky suddenly lit up in dazzling colors as the national anthem played from a large speaker system near the lab.

Below the hill, children started waving their flags back and forth in time to the anthem, while the men removed their hats and women covered their hearts.

Standing up together, the group on the hill watched in awe at the sparkling display as each new firework burst into sight before slowly melting away into the inky darkness and twinkling glow of the surrounding starlight.


End file.
